What are you reading? Why? Is it worth picking up? I think it would be interesting to have a thread to share what everyone is reading; so, please share.
Books
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JColtrane
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Right now I'm reading Either/Or II by Kierkegaard. It is truly a masterful work, and although I do not agree with all that he writes I think there is a wealth of wisdom contained in it. Most of the work is about becoming an "authentic individual" by passionatley commiting to your ethical views. You can find the influence from this book in a lot of what Nietzsche and Sartre wrote about.
no country for old wainds
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I finished Shogun pretty recently - an enjoyable fictitious (though based loosely around real events) book about Samurai culture and conflict. Been mostly reading philosophical nitbits over the last couple of weeks, I'd like some suggestions of quality writings though.
Edit: Also, I'm about to read Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (the book Apocalypse Now is based on I think...) for college coursework
Edit: Also, I'm about to read Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (the book Apocalypse Now is based on I think...) for college coursework
Introduction to Metaphysics by Martin Heidegger. This presents a sweeping reinterpretation of Greek thought and Western history. It also provides an insight into the reasons behind the authors support of the Nazi party during the 1930s. Heidegger tires to bring the question of Being into perspective to make us rethink our prejudices within Western thought and everyday practices. A really revealing read.
Gallantry over Docility said:
SHOGUN is a brilliant novel.
Over the course of the past two years, most of my reading has covered the genre of historical fiction and current affairs.
My reading of philosophical books has slowed down dramatically over the years.
Krilons Resa
Jerry's married?!
I'm currently halfway through The Decline of The West by Oswald Spengler. I'm awaiting another book which I fail to remember the name, but it should be here in a few days.
Justin S.
Member
Doomwatcher said:
Nice, I just started with Heidegger's The Metaphysical Foundations of Logic. After that it will be Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, both of which are for a logic class.
Justin S.
Member
Gallantry over Docility said:
If you havent checked it out yet, Freud's Totem and Taboo
is a great read, even if highly speculative in its conclusion. It is also very influential, as Ive seen it referenced in countless other works. A good starting point for reading Freud as well.
Kenneth R.
Cináed
both excellent.Gallantry over Docility said:
i'm reading George R R Martin's "A Game of Thrones". if you like fantasy and a historical perspective, this book (and the series that follows, so i'm told) is very well written.
before that, i read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", a 1300 A.D. book concerning the period of roughly 300BC to 300AD in chinese history. though the work is fiction, it is based very closely on real history and fiction is incorporated in the manner of the conversations and exaggerations as are common in legend. it's quite interesting if you like old Eastern history/philosophy
Samson
I light fires.
I didn't like Romance of the Three Kingdoms that much. I think you have to read it in it's original language to appreciate it because the translations are shit.
unknown
fuck ftagn
heart of darkness is a fucking excellent book. Especially if you're into analyzing symbolism and all that good stuf.
I just finished reading Chuck palahniuk's Stranger Than Fiction...it's a collection of his nonfiction essays and real life experiences. The people he meets are truly interesting. The stories are great. I definitely recommend it. Very easy reading
I just finished reading Chuck palahniuk's Stranger Than Fiction...it's a collection of his nonfiction essays and real life experiences. The people he meets are truly interesting. The stories are great. I definitely recommend it. Very easy reading
MasterOLightning
Optimator
How ironic...I came here today to start a book recommendation thread. Perhaps I still will, because this has to do with current reading apparently.
I recently read Pahlaniuk's Choke, which is densely packed with symbolism, yet is a very easy read. It has a good amount of laughs in it too.
Right now I'm working on the famed Lords of Chaos. I'm finding it to be a good read. I'm curious to know what everyone else's thoughts on it are.
I recently read Pahlaniuk's Choke, which is densely packed with symbolism, yet is a very easy read. It has a good amount of laughs in it too.
Right now I'm working on the famed Lords of Chaos. I'm finding it to be a good read. I'm curious to know what everyone else's thoughts on it are.
no country for old wainds
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MasterOLightning said:
Interesting in places and less so in others. I doubt its accuracy in some instances, too. Varg wrote a rather scathing critique of it, someone will probably post the link now I've mentioned it.
Kenneth R.
Cináed
some of them are terrible, but i found a fairly good one. still, if i understood chinese, i'd have liked to see the original.Samson said:
Doomcifer said:
I know I recommended that one a number of times; its a long, but rewarding read. Interestingly enough Cioran has become my favorite thinker afer you suggested him. I mean i have read everything he has written, and I just love the man and his thought. I personally really enjoy tears and saints the most, perhaps his youthful vigor and original Romanian make his aphorisms even more wickedly delightful.
Cythraul
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- Dec 10, 2003
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I usually read a few books simultaneously so right now it's The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory by David Chalmers, The Philosopher's Toolkit by Julian Baggini and Peter S. Fosl and Beyond Morality by Richard Garner. The one on consciousness is especially interesting as it's working towards a naturalistic yet non-reductive theory of conscious experience.
anonymousnick2001
World's Greatest Vocalist
SunMontage
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NeverIsForever
Member
hmm, I had to read heart of darkness for my AP English class this past year and I wasn't that impressed. just my opinion...it seems to me like one of those books that you read and it sounds educated and intellectual to say you read them, but that's about all the purpose they serve. I find hermann hesse's "siddhartha" to be another such book. reading it was (required) torture. and I have yet to find a use for it, as it never showed up on the AP exam :Spin:
what I'm reading, or rather have just finished reading after staying up all night and reading for three and a half hours straight, is Harry Potter 6. talk about shallow. to my credit though, I was reading Nietzsche while waiting at Barnes and Noble to pick up the HP book at midnight :Spin:
what I'm reading, or rather have just finished reading after staying up all night and reading for three and a half hours straight, is Harry Potter 6. talk about shallow. to my credit though, I was reading Nietzsche while waiting at Barnes and Noble to pick up the HP book at midnight :Spin:
NeverIsForever said:
"And I have yet to find any use for it: it didnt show up on the Ap Exam?" Thats the talk of a business school or engineering flunky. For shame. No work of literature should be read merely because one will take a test on it. Literature has no meaning in our society anyway, but to rob it of its personal value and replace its value with some pointless test is a crime.
